My eyes fell upon an old work of mine this morning and I recalled the unexpected impact it made on a friend who does not really like art. He came to my house years ago for a cup of coffee. We spoke about this and that and then he wanted to see the art works I had been working on. I think I questioned his taste in art – to be honest – but I showed him my works in progress. He immediately liked the one I included here today; what the reason is, I will never know. This work was an experiment of mine and I simply layered it, reworked it and added some whimsical elements over a period of time. It is not a “serious” work as far as I am concerned and I was not trying to convey a deep message with it either. A few weeks later he came again and he wanted to know if there was a possibility that he could own the work. We “worked” on a little amicable settlement and he happily carried away something he liked.
I often surprise myself by liking something that I thought I would never care for and it could be a piece of music, a work of art or anything else which I had formerly placed within the “not to be liked”-category in my mind. When I am confronted with these “surprises” I cannot really explain to myself what it actually is that fills me with a sense of wonder. Perhaps it is the power of the aesthetic things? Random ordinary or extraordinary elements when placed into some unknown (perfect) sequence unleashes unexpected acceptability. When someone has arranged seemingly “unrelated” objects or notes or materials in (even) a haphazard way but to the eyes or the ears or the senses the outcome equals “secret of perfection”, it transcends “logic” and the heart is stirred.
The first time I saw the “Goldfish and geranium” still life by Henri Matisse, I knew immediately that I liked it very much, that is was one of the best works in the world (according to me) and that I should have a print of it one day in my home. I can say that the honesty or simplicity of the work is the reason I like it, but there is an element of something beyond logic here for me. I hope you will be surprised today by beauty showing up in different formats in unexpected places. May your heart expand in amazement.
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